Book Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

 

Goodreads Summary: The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.
You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.

Goodreads Rating: 4.46 stars with over 390,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Humor, Dystopia, Adventure, LITRPG

Goodreads/Storygraph challenge: 9/48

2026 Reading Challenge: #6 Read a book that was either given to you or recommended by someone who means a lot to you (find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers. I hope everyone is doing well! Let's get into Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. This one has been on my radar for a while, but I hadn't really gotten around to reading it. I finally caved when two very good friends and two co-workers all harassed me in the same week to read it. This is a good one for prompt #6. 

I'll start by saying that I really did enjoy the book, but I think that it got over-hyped, at least to me. I expected to enjoy it a lot more than I did because of it. I liked Carl, and I felt bad for what he'd been through before the dungeon. I liked that he tries to be a good person even in the dungeon. I liked the mechanics. The lootboxes have me cracking up throughout the entire book. I liked Mordecai a lot. I'd actually love to read more about his story if possible. 

I think what kept me from enjoying the story as much was the reality TV aspect. I would be super into a scene and then lose interest because they had to go do an interview or there was a bunch of nonsense about the TV network. Also, and I realize this is going to be a controversial take, I don't love Donut. I tolerate her. She has her moments where I like her, but for the most part, I feel like she's trying too hard and just comes across as fake. I realize she's supposed to be a show cat, but her personality feels so forced. 

Overall, I enjoyed it. It's a fast-paced story with interesting game mechanics. I do think that I set my expectations too high to really, truly love it. That being said, I did buy the rest of the series to read. It's a quick read, and I am curious to see what happens next. 

Book Review: Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

 

Goodreads Summary:  Brimming with Chambers' signature blend of heart-warming character relationships and dazzling adventure, Record of a Spaceborn few is the third standalone installment of the Wayfarers series, set in the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, and following a new motley crew on a journey to another corner corner of the cosmos—one often mentioned, but not yet explored.

Return to the sprawling universe of the Galactic Commons, as humans, artificial intelligence, aliens, and some beings yet undiscovered explore what it means to be a community in this exciting third adventure in the acclaimed and multi-award-nominated science fiction Wayfarers series, brimming with heartwarming characters and dazzling space adventure.

Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way.

But that was long ago. Today, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, the birthplace of many, yet a place few outsiders have ever visited. While the Exodans take great pride in their original community and traditions, their culture has been influenced by others beyond their bulkheads. As many Exodans leave for alien cities or terrestrial colonies, those who remain are left to ponder their own lives and futures: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? Why remain in space when there are habitable worlds available to live? What is the price of sustaining their carefully balanced way of life—and is it worth saving at all?

A young apprentice, a lifelong spacer with young children, a planet-raised traveler, an alien academic, a caretaker for the dead, and an Archivist whose mission is to ensure no one’s story is forgotten, wrestle with these profound universal questions. The answers may seem small on the galactic scale, but to these individuals, it could mean everything.

Genre Listing: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, LGBT

Goodreads/StoryGraph Challenge: 2/48

2026 Reading Challenge:  #47 Read a Space Opera (See the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, readers! It’s the first post of 2026, and I’m trying to get back into the swing of writing actual book reviews. I probably won't do one for every book like I used to, but I’m going to try to do them more consistently. Anyway, let’s get into Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers.

This is the third book in the Wayfarers series, a Space Opera series I’ve really enjoyed. Since I didn’t post much last year, I don’t think I’ve talked about this series at all! Each book is set in the same universe but focuses on different, loosely connected characters. While the connection between books one and two is more obvious, book three follows the sister of a character from the first book. Other characters might be connected as well, but I don't quite remember the details.

I love the world Becky Chambers has created. The first two books focus more on planet dwellers, whereas book three follows those residing in the fleet. Society in this series is very accepting and accommodating of other species (for the most part). Unlike many stories, the plot isn't driven by simple misunderstandings; instead, the characters have well-developed conversations about acceptance, consent, and purpose. The series is also very pro-LGBTQA+, written in a way that feels natural rather than forced.

At first, the characters in Record of a Spaceborn Few don't seem connected, but their stories intertwine as the plot evolves. It results in a beautiful connection, and I enjoyed the book immensely. I’m already planning to make the fourth book my next audiobook listen.

Speaking of audiobooks, I really enjoy Rachel Dulude’s narration. Her voice is clear, and she uses a variety of distinct character voices that make the experience immersive. I highly recommend Record of a Spaceborn Few to anyone who wants an interesting Sci-Fi story where the stakes feel more aligned with the 'Cozy' genre.

Also, as a fun treat, I noticed this on the Audiobook. The chapter titles form a poem. 

"From The Beginning

We Have Wandered

To This Day, We Wander Still

But For Our Travels

We Are Not Lost

We Fly With Courage

And Will Undying"

Book Review: The Clockwork Chimera series by Scott Baron

 

Goodreads Summary: As if nearly blowing up on her way to Earth wasn't bad enough, Daisy had a whole mess of other trouble on her plate. Big trouble. And she was going to clean it off if it was the last thing she'd do... which it was looking like it very well might be.
Daisy had a simple rule for space travel. Don't blow up. So far she'd been managing to abide by that, but something was very much not right.

With the powerful AI supercomputer guiding the craft beginning to show some disconcerting quirks of its own, and its unsettling cyborg assistant nosing into her affairs, Daisy's unease was rapidly growing, as was her bigotry toward artificially intelligent beings. Add to the mix a crew of mechanically-enhanced humans, any one of whom she suspected might not be what they seemed, and Daisy found herself with a sense of pending dread tickling the periphery of her mind.

Something was very much not right––she could feel it in her bones. The tricky part now was going to be overcoming her biases and figuring out what the threat was, before it could manifest from a mere sinking feeling in her gut into a potentially deadly reality.

Only things were far different and far worse than she could ever have imagined, forcing her to repeatedly adjust and overcome a reality that turned out to be far from what it had originally seemed.

The complete series set of all five of the Clockwork Chimera books:

1. Daisy's Run
2. Pushing Daisy
3. Daisy's Gambit
4. Chasing Daisy
5. Daisy's War

A space opera adventure featuring damaged spaceships, rogue artificial intelligence, homicidal cyborgs, mechanically-enhanced humans, genetic engineering, nanotech, and, of course, bloodthirsty aliens.

Genre Listing: Science Fiction, Space Opera

Goodreads Rating: 4.53 stars with 400 ratings

Goodreads/Storygraph Challenge: 8/30 books
2025 Reading Challenge: See the whole challenge here

7 Read a book with a person's name in the title - Pushing Daisy by Scott Baron

8 Read a book that takes place in the future- Daisy's War by Scott Baron 34 Read a book that has a war or battle in it - Daisy's Gambit by Scott Baron

44 Read a book that references a TV show or movie - Daisy's Run by Scott Baron

55 Read a book that involves amnesia or memory manipulation- Chasing Daisy by Scott Baron

Social Media Update:

I deactivated my Twitter/X account because, well (gestures vaguely at the world). I do, however, have a Bluesky account.

It'll be a little more of a personal/blog combo than just strictly for the blog. You can find me at: https://bsky.app/profile/linzthebookworm.bsky.social. 

All of my other Socials are the same.

Book Review: 

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well. It's been a busy few weeks, but no significant life updates. I'm super thankful for audiobooks right now. I'm back on-site for work after nearly 5 years of working from home. I have a relatively long commute, so audiobooks have been necessary. The omnibus for The Clockwork Chimera was helpful during this drive time since it had five books. 

Because I listened to these non-stop, I decided to do an overall review of the entire series instead of each individual book. I took some notes on each book, but they'd have a lot of spoilers. Overall, I really enjoyed the series. Surprisingly, Science Fiction is not a genre I've read much. I definitely haven't read much in the way of "Space Opera" stories, but I enjoyed this quite a bit. I was unable to guess what would happen next because the series hit so many different Science Fiction tropes in each of the five books. I can't go into the specific tropes because it will give much of the story away if I do. It was really well done, however, and not overwhelming. The only downside was that some trickier Science Fiction aspects were hard to grasp. 

Along with the various tropes, there were many movie and TV references. It was like a Nerdy Pop Culture Easter Egg hung. I loved it. I felt like this every time I picked up on one:

I was happy to see some character growth in Daisy. She is unlikeable in the first couple of books because she is incredibly prejudiced against Cyborgs. The story was interesting and continued, but initially, it was hard to root for Daisy. Aside from that, each book has some great characters that were a lot of fun to read. Freya and George were my favorite characters. 

I appreciated that the series came full circle and had a happy ending (sorry, spoiler). It ended really sweetly, and while I guessed a lot of it, I was still pleased. Honestly, right now, we need more stories that make us go, "Aww." 

I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a fun Science Fiction escape. The audiobooks were well done, and I really enjoyed how the narrator told the story. Oh, and for those of us doing the challenge - the first or second books also work for the reluctant hero category.

My Ratings for each of the books are as follows:

Daisy's Run - 4 stars

Pushing Daisy- 4 stars

Daisy's Gambit - 3 stars

Chasing Daisy - 3 stars

Daisy's War - 4 stars

The average is 3.6 stars, so I will give the series 4 stars/moons. 

Book Review: Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer

 

Goodreads Summary: Hominids is a strong, stand-alone SF novel, but it's also the first book of The Neanderthal Parallax, a trilogy examining two unique species of people. They are alien to each other yet bound together by the never-ending quest for knowledge and, beneath their differences, common humanity. We are one of those species; the other is the Neanderthals of a parallel world where they, not Homo sapiens, became the dominant intelligence. In that world, the Neanderthal civilization has reached heights of culture and science comparable to ours but is very different in history, society, and philosophy.
During a risky experiment deep in a mine in Canada, Ponter Boddit, a Neanderthal physicist, accidentally pierces the barrier between worlds and is transferred to our universe, where in the same mine, another experiment is taking place. Hurt but alive, he is almost immediately recognized as a Neanderthal, but only much later as a scientist. He is captured and studied, alone and bewildered, a stranger in a strange land. But Ponter is also befriended by a doctor and a physicist who share his questing intelligence and boundless enthusiasm for the world's strangeness, and especially by geneticist Mary Vaughan, a lonely woman with whom he develops a special rapport.

Meanwhile, Ponter's partner, Adikor Huld, finds himself with a messy lab, a missing body, suspicious people all around, and an explosive murder trial that he can't possibly win because he has no idea what actually happened. Talk about a scientific challenge!
Goodreads Ratings: 3.79 stars with over 17,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Alternate Universe, Alternate History

Goodreads Challenge: 19/36

2022 Reading Challenge: #14 Read a Speculative Fiction (See the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers, and Happy August! I am thrilled that Fall is approaching soon. It's absolutely gorgeous in Minnesota when the leaves turn. I wish it'd stick around longer since it's my favorite season.

There's not much real-world stuff to catch up on since I did a Birthday post last week, so I'll jump right into Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer.

This is not a book I would have picked for myself in a million years. This story got on my radar because, in the Spring, my husband's aunt and uncle visited briefly. I had recommended Humans by Matt Haig and, in return, was sent Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer. I won't lie; I was slightly nervous to read it. I was afraid that the science discussed in the book would be way over my head. I was pleasantly surprised, however.

Hominids was really easy to get into. The characters were interesting, as was the story. The science discussed was really approachable. There was an explanation for anything that was pretty complex, which was appreciated. There was even some further explanation regarding how Neanderthals in the book calculated things.  

I liked how the story went back and forth between the two worlds. It gave an interesting comparison and explained the sociological differences between the two worlds. Sawyer really took care in thinking about how to have Ponter learn the language and how the Neanderthal society would work, including how their legal trials functioned. Both parts of the story were intriguing, but I think I liked the Neanderthal side more just for the logical approach everything had.

Trigger warning - there is a rape scene in the book. I don't really feel like it was a necessary scene to move the story forward; however, I do appreciate that it shows the victim coping with it, including seeking a support group. It also briefly discusses how the situation is handled in today's world compared to the Neanderthal's world. So I guess in that aspect, it did serve a purpose. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer. The parallel universe with the inclusion of Neanderthals was really interesting, and the characters were likable. This may be a good fit if you are looking for an easy-to-read Science Fiction or Alternate History.  

Book Review: The Octunnumi Fosbit Files Prologue by Trevor Alan Foris

 

Goodreads Summary: The Octunnumi does not exist.
Fosbit and any files relating to a Fosbit do not exist.

The Tarelen peoples that protect and provide sanctuary for the Avitens of Fethrist are not real.

The abilities of the Tarelen peoples with their heightened skills, living in their Utopian world are myth, their purpose here mere tales; rumours of their reincarnations enabling them to live many lives… ridiculous!

And there is definitely no magic.

None at all.

No, really, there isn’t.

Magic is not a thing.

There are also no hidden worlds or mythical beings coexisting just out of sight.

Equally, there are no secret access points to these hidden worlds that don’t exist, and there is no, 'unfinished business from the past' that is set to destroy, well, anything.

There is no disaster looming.

Anyway, regardless of any potential threat that may or may not be present, this publication, The Octunnumi and any reference to any other beings is a work of fiction.

And for the record, Scariodintts, should they exist, are perfectly lovely beings whose purpose in life is grossly misunderstood.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.08 stars with over 8,000 reviews

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, New Adult, Science Fiction

Goodreads Challenge: 9/48 (Oh hey. I'm behind, shocker)

2022 Reading Challenge: #20 Read a book with a black cover (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

I would normally use this section to tell you about a book I read, but I can't do that because this book doesn't exist and it most definitely does not contain magic. So instead, for this review, I'm going to type in hypothetical thoughts. Because as the description said, it's all just rumors. I most certainly did not order a book that can only be obtained from the author's website that I knew nothing about. It was most certainly not shipped from Europe at the cost of $60. All of this would imply that it existed... 

Okay, that is really hard and I can't do that for the full review. Props to Trevor Alan Foris for being able to write out a description like that. 

Anyways, the whole thing with this book is that as far as I can tell it's only sold on the website, which can be found here. It ships from the UK, I believe so it does take a while if you're in the US. Not including textbooks, it is the most expensive book I have ever bought. It's also the most beautiful. The book it's self is black with a gold title. Every page in the book has decorative steampunk borders, and it's lovely. The appeal for me was purely astethic and the fact that it was a total mystery as to what it was about. Another great feature is that the dictionary is an actual bookmark. Genius.

Here's a look at the prettiness.

I honestly don't want to really talk about the story. Well, I take that back. I do want to talk about it, but I want to help preserve the mystery more. I find that just to be such a cool concept and really as much of the story as the actual story and experience.

What I liked about the story is the uniqueness and cleverness of it. There were a lot of moments that I really had to think about and take it in. I've never ready anything like it. The hardest part for me was that a lot of the time I felt like I was getting half of the story. I don't know if that was because it was a prologue or because it took me so long to read. I just felt like so often I didn't understand what was going on or how the world or magic worked. The only way I can think to explain it is like I was on the outside looking in and everything was fuzzy. Given the secrecy, maybe that was intended. 

I think I'd like to read this again sometime and try to get a better understanding of what happened. I liked the story, and there were parts that I found funny. I just was also really confused a lot. Given that it cost me $60, it's unlikely that I'll acquire the rest of the series when it comes out. Which is unfortunate because I do want to read more. Now that the mystery is gone, I just can't bring myself to spend that much on one book again. I'm hoping that it will come out on kindle at some point. Overall, reading it felt like an actual experience and I'd recommend it or someone who is looking for a book outside of the norm.

Book Review: The Humans by Matt Haig

 

Goodreads Summary: When an extra-terrestrial visitor arrives on Earth, his first impressions of the human species are less than positive. Taking the form of Professor Andrew Martin, a prominent mathematician at Cambridge University, the visitor is eager to complete the gruesome task assigned him and hurry home to his own utopian planet, where everyone is omniscient and immortal.

    He is disgusted by the way humans look, what they eat, their capacity for murder and war, and is equally baffled by the concepts of love and family. But as time goes on, he starts to realize there may be more to this strange species than he had thought. Disguised as Martin, he drinks wine, reads poetry, develops an ear for rock music, and a taste for peanut butter. Slowly, unexpectedly, he forges bonds with Martin’s family. He begins to see hope and beauty in the humans’ imperfection and begins to question the very mission that brought him there.

    Praised by The New York Times as a “novelist of great seriousness and talent,” author Matt Haig delivers an unlikely story about human nature and the joy found in the messiness of life on Earth. The Humans is a funny, compulsively readable tale that playfully and movingly explores the ultimate subject—ourselves.

Goodreads Rating: 4.09 stars with over 82,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Contemporary, Fantasy, Aliens

Goodreads Challenge: 5/48

2022 Reading Challenge: #2 Read a book under 350 pages (You can find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

I read a book?  I read a book! This feels more and more like a surprising feat lately. I'm still not really back in the full swing of reading as I had hoped. I'm still working through The Octunnumi, but I think other than that I'm going to take a break from the really heavy books for a while. It will be interesting to see what I can find that my brain will actually process.

Anyways, on to the book review. I thought the whole concept of The Humans by Matt Haig was really interesting and unique. I don't really read a lot of books about aliens, but based on some movies I've seen, it was a nice change from the Aliens are invading trope. I found myself interested in it pretty quickly. The way it is written is very easy to read. 

There is a lot of humor in the book, and it reminded me a lot of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I love humor that's a little dry, dark, and sarcastic, and this really fit in well with that. There were parts where I was actually laughing out loud and would have to read the funny part to my husband. I really needed the laugh it provided.

Even though it was humorous, there were some dark parts as well. The book does discuss teenage suicide. I'll try to get better at pointing out subjects I know can be a concern for others. If you are considering reading a book I've reviewed and have a specific trigger, by all means please ask in the comments or by using the contact form. Really, if you have any questions about the books I review, please ask. I don't mind answering, I just try to keep the reviews as spoiler free as I can.

I think this book is one that could be enjoyed by a lot of people, even if Science Fiction or Fantasy isn't really their thing. At the core of a book is a character who ventured out of their comfort zone and experienced new things for the first time. I thought the way the main character was able to experience music, food, and love for the first time was beautifully written. There is a lot of growth and development, and a lot of setting preconvieved biases aside and seeing the good in someone. 

One last point on this book. It didn't dawn on me that since the person the alien impersonatees is a mathematician that there would be math. 

Math trauma aside, I loved the book, which surprised me. I did not expect to.

Book Review: The Legacy Human by Susan Kaye Quinn

 

Goodreads Summary: What would you give to live forever?
Seventeen-year-old Elijah Brighton wants to become an ascender--a post-Singularity human/machine hybrid--after all, they're smarter, more enlightened, more compassionate, and above all, achingly beautiful. But Eli is a legacy human, preserved and cherished for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state possesses him and creates great art, Eli miraculously lands a sponsor for the creative Olympics. If he could just master the fugue, he could take the gold and win the right to ascend, bringing everything he's yearned for within reach... including his beautiful ascender patron. But once Eli arrives at the Games, he finds the ascenders are playing games of their own. Everything he knows about the ascenders and the legacies they keep starts to unravel... until he's running for his life and wondering who he truly is.

The Legacy Human is the first in Susan Kaye Quinn's new young adult science fiction series that explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul in a post-Singularity world... and how technology will challenge us to remember what it means to be human.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.93 stars with over 1,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy, Apocalyptic

Goodreads Challenge: 38/50   

2021 Reading Challenge:  #23 Read a book with Human, People, or Person in the title (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hi Readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I can't believe it's already October. I feel like this year has flown by. That means the 2022 challenge will be launching in just a few months! The lovely  Co-conspirator, Tress, and I already have a list started with goodies for next year. 

I initially put The Legacy Human on the Science Fiction prompt, but I realized that we had #23 for Human. It also dawned on me that I probably intended to read this book for that one initially. I expected this to be a lot shorter of a read than it actually was. I'm not sure if it was just a glitch in the matrix, but the book made it seem like page 408 was the last page; however, that was at around 80%.  There ended up being quite a bit of story left. There is not really a point to me mentioning this.

I'm still trying to piece my thoughts on The Legacy Human together. The more I over-analyze it, the less I'm going to like the book. For most of the story, I thought the concept was interesting. Humans figured out how to combine AI technology with Genetics and live forever. The Ascenders, as they're called, run the world and basically control how the Legacy Humans (non-AI population) live. I was entertained while reading it, but there were a lot of issues I had with it. I'm making no promises about keeping spoilers out of this review. Sorry.

For the vast majority of reading this book, I felt like I was reading a weird Hunger Games or Divergent knock-off. In Legacy Human, the ordinary people are all mainly creative people like artists or writers. Every year there's the Creative Olympics, which have replaced the regular Olympics. Teenagers can compete in their chosen art, and the winners of each group get to ascend. This is the only way to Ascend. There's this whole political aspect behind the games where Sponsors are getting to use their Legacy as a bragging right and maybe some nefarious activities to tip the scales. There's also a group of the resistance trying to fight the AI overlords and some big reveal about Elijah's lineage. The big secret made zero sense to me. I understood what was being said, even expected it. However, I just felt like the Science made little to no sense. 

I never really felt like any of the book's Science was actually explained. I felt like I was just supposed to know and understand it without an explanation. For example, Elijah kept referencing being in a "Fugue State." This is supposed to be a YA Science Fiction, so I would expect the Science wouldn't be highly complicated. I'd expect it to at least be summarized enough to where the average teenager or young college student can understand. Most days, I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent and have a vast understanding of things. I had no idea what a fugue state was. The whole time I thought it was some word the author made up that was slang for the story. I googled it after I finished reading the book. Per Britannica, "Dissociative fugue (psychogenic fugue, or fugue state) presents as sudden, unexpected travel away from one's home with an inability to recall some or all of one's past. Onset is sudden, usually following severe psychosocial stressors." Now that I know what it is, it makes sense, but I don't feel like the context was there for the average reader. This is just one example where I think the vocabulary needed to be better tailored to the audience. 

I felt like the most developed character was Cyrus. Everyone else fell a little flat and started to blend together. I didn't really feel like anyone had their own individual voice. I had to scroll back up to the summary to even remember Elijah's name. Everyone else has kind of escaped me. I think this is a case of an interesting concept and not great execution. I didn't hate the book (despite how this review probably seems), but I didn't really love it either. At best, I can describe it as ok but fell flat in a lot of aspects. I sort of enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I think I've talked myself down from 3 stars to 2 stars after writing this review. 

Book Review: The Passage by Justin Cronin

Goodreads Summary: "It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born."
An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy—abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can't stop society's collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.

Goodreads Rating: 4.02 stars with over 204000 ratings

Genre Listing: Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Vampires, Paranormal, Dystopia, Thriller

Goodreads Challenge: 36/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #6 Read a book that was recommended to you (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hi Readers. I hope everyone is doing well. I finally finished a book. I'm so proud of myself. The Passage took me nearly a month to complete. Readers. Let me offer you some advice that you didn't ask for. If you and your spouse both work full time and are in Grad School full time, a 700-page book may not be a quick read. Had I been an intelligent human and looked at the number of pages before I selected this, I would have waited to read The Passage. This was recommended to me by one of my co-workers, who is also a huge bookworm. The sales pitch for it was, "Hey, you like vampires, right?" It doesn't take much for me to want to read a book, honestly. 

I'm not really sure where to go with the review for this one, which is part of why it's taken me four days to get around to writing. I liked The Passage by Justin Cronin. I thought it was an interesting concept. However, I felt like the book was really disjointed. I don't know if it was actually the book or my state of mind right now. Just as soon as I got into a character's story, the Point of View switched. There were so many different views that I just couldn't keep track of all the characters. Once I finally started getting into the story, the timeframe shifted, and it was 100 years in the future. Because of this change, there was a whole new set of characters that I had to get used to. It made it really hard to stay in the moment of whatever was going on.  I felt like I was reading two separate books. 

One big piece of the puzzle that I still feel like I'm missing is the why. That part never really felt clear to me. There was a group of scientists initially, and I don't really understand why they took the actions they did. I don't know if it was to find a cure or some other reason. I never really had a good grasp of why they brought Amy into it. 

All of the confusion aside, I did enjoy the story, as I said earlier. I was more entertained by the dystopian aspect of the story just because things had started to make a little sense by then. I felt more interested in Peter, Theo, Lish, Sarah, and the others in their group than the other characters earlier on. They felt more well-developed to me. Auntie was probably my favorite character in the book, and I wish she would have gotten a little more time in the story. I'm really hoping that her journals at least play a more significant part in the later books. 

I'm keeping this review short today. Overall, I really wish I liked this book more than I did. I don't know if I would have liked it more if I had read it at a different time. I'm not writing off the rest of the series; it just may be a bit before I get into the rest of the books. 

Book Review: The Fever Code by James Dashner

Goodreads Summary: Once there was a world’s end.
The forests burned, the lakes and rivers dried up, and the oceans swelled.
Then came a plague, and fever spread across the globe. Families died, violence reigned, and man killed man.
Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy.
The boy’s name was Thomas, and Thomas built a maze.
Now there are secrets.
There are lies.
And there are loyalties history could never have foreseen.
This is the story of that boy, Thomas, and how he built a maze that only he could tear down.
All will be revealed.

Goodreads Rating: 4.09 stars with over 39,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic. Adventure, Teen

Goodreads Challenge: 22/60

2021 Reading Challenge: #20 Read a book you meant to read on last year's challenge (find the entire reading challenge here)

Previous reviews on the series: Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order

Book Review:

Happy Saturday, readers! I'm excited to announce that I finally finished the Maze Runner series. It only took me a year and some change. One of my friends loaned me the entire series, and I had intended on reading it all the way through last year so that I wasn't holding on to her books for eternity. With the pandemic, however, Disease heavy dystopian did not feel like an appealing read. I've had about ten books lined up for this spot because I never complete challenges and get sidetracked.

This is going to be a relatively short review today. Most of what I'd talk about would be spoilers for not only this book but the whole series, and most of the time, I try really hard not to spoil anything. For those of you who don't know, The Fever Code is a prequel in the series. The events that happen are before the first book, Maze Runner. So chronologically, it would go The Kill Order, The Fever Code, The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure. However, if you've never read any of the series and aren't familiar with the story, I would definitely read Maze Runner, Scorch Trials, Death Cure, Kill Order, and Fever Code.  Reading it Chronologically would really take the fun out of the story and provide so many spoilers, in my opinion. That being said, now that I've read the whole thing, I kind of want to reread it starting with The Kill Order. It could be interesting, but that's a challenge for another day (or year).

I enjoyed The Fever Code by James Dashner, but I don't know if I was as into it as the other books in the series.  The entire time I was reading Maze Runner, Scorch Trials, and Death Cure, I really wanted the background story of before the kids got in the maze and how that came about. The Fever Code definitely provides that. We get a little background into Chancellor Paige, Newt, Chuck, Brenda, Jorge, and obviously Thomas and Theresa. The Glades makes an appearance once the Maze is complete. From there, we get a look at how the Gladers start to find their place in their new home. 

While there was some action in the story, I don't feel like there was as much in this book as in the others. It mostly just goes through the day-to-day of the WICKED organization and how the maze came to be. There were some twists and turns, but overall, everything felt more level than the other books. I don't know if that makes any sense. Hopefully, it does. One of the things that bothered me the most with The Fever Code is a lot of it Thomas and Theresa are pretty young. Really until they hit their teenage years, the age the story said they were didn't really feel like it corresponded to how they acted or talked. I know, obviously, they're supposed to be prodigy geniuses, but it just didn't seem consistent to me and took me out of the story a bit.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I think I would have liked a little more action and maybe Thomas and Theresa to seem a little more like the age they were supposed to be. I never really felt like the age they acted and the age they were ever lined up. I did enjoy that I felt like a lot of the unanswered questions got closure, however. There's apparently a couple of short stories about Thomas's memories and Newt's experience from his account in The Death Cure. I think it'd be interesting to see a story from post-Death Cure. I think a lot of skills they learned in Maze Runner would come into play for that. It could be interesting. 

Book Review: The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

 

Goodreads Summary: Gavin Guile is Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is a high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.
But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.21 stars with over 109,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Magic, Adventure, Science Fiction

Goodreads Challenge: 21/60

2021 Reading Challenge: #33 Read a book where the main character is a magic user (Find the complete challenge here)

Book Review:

Happy Friday, readers. I am super glad it's the weekend. I'm tired and thoroughly plan to sleep in tomorrow. (I stopped writing after this sentence and got back to writing this post this morning. I definitely did not sleep in, which is stupid.) I've been reading The Black Prism at the suggestion of Tress. She's been trying to get me to read this one for a while. I kept putting it off because, well, big books are scary. This one really fit in with a ton of categories on the 2021 challenge, so it seemed like a good time to finally dive into it.

I enjoyed The Black Prism; however, it took me a while to really get into it. The book is definitely a slow build, and I probably wasn't fully invested in the story until around 25-30% through. Brent Weeks let's little bits of info slip out in the beginning about the magic, and I was left kind of confused at how it all worked. Eventually, as we get to know more of the characters and how they use their magic, we learn more about the system. 

The magic system in this story is probably the most intricate that I've read. It's very complex and scientific. I had to have Tress explain its basics to me while I was reading because the details don't really come out all at once, which makes it even harder to follow. Once I fully understood it, however, I was really fascinated by it. There's so much detail about color theory in this epic fantasy novel, and it's incredible. I love the idea that drafters can call on their different colors to affect their emotions in addition to the physical properties and uses of each one. I just wish it would have been revealed a little more upfront so that I could have enjoyed it for the entire book instead of the last half or so.

There are a lot of plot twists in this book. I thought some (including major ones) were really predictable; some were not. Obviously, I won't go into specific details about these as I don't want to ruin the book with spoilers. I don't think the book would be as enjoyable without that element of surprise and some of the "Oh, shit!" moments. 

I was really drawn into Gavin's character. I thought he was kind of refreshing. Sometimes he was a good guy, sometimes he wasn't. It was kind of nice to see that line blurred. (And now, the song Blurred Lines is in my head. Dang it.) He was a really intriguing character, and I enjoyed reading things from his perspective. I'm intrigued to see where the rest of his story goes. I wasn't as drawn to Kip. I don't know if it was just because he was a self-loathing horny teenager or what. There were times when I thought he was funny and endearing, but there were many times when he annoyed the hell out of me. 

I really liked Karris, and I thought her backstory with Gavin was interesting. I'm really interested in reading more of that. I thought she came across as both feminine and tough, which I loved. I wasn't really all that interested in Liv's story. I'm not really sure why. I just wasn't that drawn to her character. Her father seemed intelligent, and he could have an interesting backstory. A lot of it was sort of revealed, but I think there's probably more information coming in later books. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I just wish the explanation of magic had been more upfront. There are many characters and information, so sometimes I found it hard to follow (which is why I don't typically read books over 400-500 pages often). There is a glossary and appendix at the end that I found really helpful, though. It gives a lot more information, but I didn't read it until I finished the book because I didn't want it to spoil anything for me. I'll definitely continue the series, but I'll probably give myself a break in between books. 

 

Book Review: Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

 

Goodreads Summary: The Nebula Award-winning author of Kindred presents a “gripping” dystopian novel about a woman fleeing Los Angeles as America spirals into chaos (The New York Times Book Review).

“A stunner.” —Flea, musician and actor, The Wall Street Journal

Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others.

When fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed, and she is forced out into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler, including rare images from the author’s estate.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.17 stars with over 85,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fiction, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Speculative Fiction

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 20/50 (Heyyyy, I'm finally caught up!)

2021 Reading Challenge: #47 Read a book with 

Book Review: 

Happy whatever day it is, Readers. I've completely lost any clue as to what day it is this week. I took Friday off and had Monday off for Memorial Day. Now I feel like I'm Robin Williams in the original Jumanji asking what year is it. 

Anyway, I picked up Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler sometime late Friday early Saturday Morning. It's a bit of a unique pick for me because of the religious undertones, but ultimately I had been eyeing it for a few weeks on Kindle Unlimited. I liked the concept, and the cover art really drew me in. 

The book follows Lauren Olmania, a teenager trying to survive a harsh world with her family after the world goes to hell. The build to the world being absolutely insane is a slow build, and it's not overly apparent until a few chapters into the story. Once the reader gets to know Lauren a bit, it's explained that communities are walled off, water is as good as gold, and that outside the walls is complete anarchy. I don't think it's genuinely understood how desperate the outside world is until Lauren's brother Kieth runs away from home. 

Keith leaving home is the start of a lot of unfortunate events for Lauren and her community. This ultimately pushes Lauren outside of the wall as well. That's when we really start to understand the world she lives in. Arson, rape, robbery, murder, and cannibalism are just another day for the characters. What I never really understood was what caused the world to be that way. The book starts in 2024, but beyond a brief statement or two about Climate Change, it's really never explained why Lauren's world is post-apocalyptic.

I enjoyed the survival aspect of this story. Lauren, despite her age, is brilliant. She often came across as older than because of her intelligence. This is actually addressed in the story due to her stepmother and father being teachers and teaching her. She graduated high school relatively young and then went into college classes. She also helped her stepmother teach the community's children. I thought Lauren was resourceful and came across as a leader. Her hyperempathy was interesting, but I don't know that it was essential to the story. If it had not been included, it wouldn't really have taken away from the story all that much. 

Where the story started losing me was the whole Earthseed thing. This is a concept that Lauren starts to explain her views on God. She starts journaling everything, and the story is presented in journal form. Some of the ideas she expresses are interesting, but they began to veer a little too close to Heaven's Gate for my liking. (For those playing the at-home game, Heaven's Gate was a cult that committed group suicide so they would board a UFO and transcend into immortal beings.) So, the whole purpose of Earthseed is that God isn't a person. God is change (Okay, I can actually understand this.) However, after an astronaut died on their way to Mars, Lauren has decided that Earthseed's destiny lies among the stars and that they need to gather follows and make a living in Space. In the story, Oregon, Washington, and Canada seem to be the promised land for Californians trying to escape. So as Lauren tries to travel to safety, it becomes her pilgrimage to acquire followers for Earthsed. Along the way, plans are made for the community they are going to develop.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler addresses many deep topics, and I genuinely feel that it was ahead of its time when it was initially published in 1993. It's won a ton of awards since then, and I can understand why. As a survival story, Octavia found a way to address racism, climate change, rape, and even includes modern slavery. These aren't even all of the diverse topics it manages to discuss in its 330 pages. A lot of it was tough to read, which I think is the point. While reading it, I kept thinking, "Hell. This is only three years away and feels completely plausible." So for Octavia E. Butler to have this foresight thirty years ago (cries in getting old) is remarkable. 

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I liked Lauren as the main character. I appreciated her intelligence, her resilience, resourcefulness, and the leadership she provided her group. The speculative future was eerie but still exciting to read. What kept this from being a four or five star for me was the cult-esq religion and the fact that barely eighteen-year-old ends up falling for a fifty-seven-year-old. Sorry. I try to be open-minded about things, but this was just a little cringy to me. The story does manage to address both, however. At one point, Lauren is asked if her religion is a cult, and she and her guy do have a discussion about the age difference. (Sorry, I can't remember his name.) I don't know if I'll end up finishing the series. I'm not ruling it out, but it's not anything I feel that I have to read right away.

Book Review: Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon

 

Goodreads Summary: In her now-classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon told the story of Claire Randall, an English ex-combat nurse who walks through a stone circle in the Scottish Highlands in 1946, and disappears . . . into 1743. The story unfolded from there in seven bestselling novels, and CNN has called it “a grand adventure written on a canvas that probes the heart, weighs the soul and measures the human spirit across [centuries].” Now the story continues in Written in My Own Heart’s Blood.
1778: France declares war on Great Britain, the British army leaves Philadelphia, and George Washington’s troops leave Valley Forge in pursuit. At this moment, Jamie Fraser returns from a presumed watery grave to discover that his best friend has married his wife, his illegitimate son has discovered (to his horror) who his father really is, and his beloved nephew, Ian, wants to marry a Quaker. Meanwhile, Jamie’s wife, Claire, and his sister, Jenny, are busy picking up the pieces.

The Frasers can only be thankful that their daughter Brianna and her family are safe in twentieth-century Scotland. Or not. In fact, Brianna is searching for her own son, who was kidnapped by a man determined to learn her family’s secrets. Her husband, Roger, has ventured into the past in search of the missing boy . . . never suspecting that the object of his quest has not left the present. Now, with Roger out of the way, the kidnapper can focus on his true target: Brianna herself.

Goodreads Rating: 4.53 stars with over 98,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Time Travel, 

Goodreads Challenge: 6/50 (5 behind)

2021 Reading Challenge: #29, Read a book from your favorite genre (find the full challenge here)

Reviews on the series (Alphabetical): A Breath of Snow and Ashes, Dragonfly in Amber, Drums of Autumn, An Echo in the Bone, The Fiery Cross, Outlander, Voyager, 

Book Review:

Hello Readers! Apparently, there is a light at the end of the Outlander tunnel- at least for now. I had absolutely no intention of binge-reading the series, but it was too good. I've basically lost so much sleep while going through the remaining three books. And now I wait for book nine to be released.

I stayed up entirely way too late reading Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon. This series combines two genres I love- Fantasy and Historical Fiction, hence my placement for #29. WIMOHB really dives into both. Historically, it's centered around the Revolutionary War. There's a lot more building on how time-traveling works as well. For the Revolutionary War part of it, Diana Gabaldon brought in historical figures like Washington, Benedict Arnold, Marquise de La Fayette, and the Hamiltons (briefly). Being the Hamilton addict that I am, this only meant I had the Hamilton soundtrack in my head while reading. Especially Guns and Ships. 

There are all kinds of exciting turns that happen with the time travel plotline. Brianna and Roger, being the scholars they are, start recording a lot of what they know. There's a bit of a twist with Jem and Mandy due to the time-traveling, which I really enjoyed. I hope that gets explored a little bit more in the next book. I find the philosophical aspect of why really fascinating. When Brianna is pursued by the man who kidnaps Jem, some information as to why is revealed. I think it's going to tie back into the whole 200-year-old baby prophecy in one of the earlier books (voyager, maybe?) The entire book ended with Roger and Brianna about how I expected it to. 

I'm having a hard time remembering events since I read three of the books back to back. So I may mix up things. We got to see a lot more of William, and while he wasn't my favorite character, I did enjoy a lot of his storyline. Some of it was pretty sad, but it added a lot of drama. I'm curious to see where his story goes. I felt like he has Jamie's sense of honor, which I liked.

I adore Rachel. She might be becoming one of my favorite characters. She seems super adorable, and I really like her balance with Ian. I'm also thrilled that Ian finally found some happiness in his storyline. I want witty banter between Rachel and Jenny. I feel like there'd be a whole lot of sass in that conversation. 

Okay. Gotta talk about Henri-Christian. Hopefully, this won't spoil anything, but... WHAT THE HELL, DIANA GABALDON!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!  Who hurt you?  That is all I can bring myself to say on that matter.

As usual, I loved the book. Binging through the rest of the series put me seriously behind, but I don't even care. If you love fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Romance, then definitely give the series a shot. The books are long but worth it—Onward to other books.